Colonel Sir Charles Wyndham Murray, (22 February 1844 – 1 November 1928) was a British Army officer and politician. He served as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Member of Parliament MP for Bath from 1892 to 1906 and as

Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod The Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod is the Gentleman Usher to the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, established 14 January 1726. The Brunswick Herald, an officer of arms of the Order of the Bath, was annexed with the position at the time it ...

of the Order of the Bath from 1913 until his death.

Biography

Early life and education

Charles Wyndham Murray was born on 22 February 1844, the son of Rev Thomas Boyles Murray and Helen Douglas, and was educated at Highgate School from 1853 until 1856, when he went to Marlborough College. The Rev Mr Murray served as

Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of th ...

of St Paul's Cathedral and is remembered there by a pair of candle holders at the main entrance which were given by Thomas Douglas Murray 1841–1911 barrister, Egyptologist, author in memory of his father.

Career

He began his military career as an

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the 61st South Gloucestershire Regiment in November 1862, promoted to Lieutenant in October 1865 and passed from Staff College in 1872. By October 1877 he was a Captain and in July 1881, a Major. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served as military

King's Messenger The Corps of King's Messengers (or Corps of Queen's Messengers during the reign of a female monarch) are couriers employed by the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). They hand-carry secret and important documents to Br ...

in France. In 1875, he was appointed Deputy-Assistant Quartermaster-General in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, and then moved to the Intelligence Department in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. In 1878, he moved to Turkey, where he was a military attaché. During the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, cou ...

, he was aide-de-camp to Major General Crealocke ( 1st Division), then deployed with Clarke's column on reconnaissance missions (medal and clasp). In Spring 1880, he was attached to

72nd Highlanders The 72nd Highlanders was a British Army Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line. Raised in 1778, it was originally numbered 78th, before being redesignated the 72nd in 1786. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 78th (Highlanders) ...

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

(staff), became orderly officer to General

Thomas Durand Baker Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Durand Baker KCB (23 March 1837 – 9 February 1893) was a British army officer, and Quartermaster-General to the Forces. Military career Educated at Cheltenham College, Baker was commissioned into the 18th (R ...

, taking part in the Logar Valley expedition of May–June 1880. In 1882, he was involved in the

Egyptian War This is a list of wars involving the Arab Republic of Egypt and its predecessor states. Ayyubid dynasty, Ayyubid Sultanate (1174-1250) Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo), Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517) Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Egypt Eyalet, Eyalet o ...

, as Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General on the base and lines of communication; he was present at

Tel-el-Kebir Tell El Kebir ( ar, التل الكبير lit."the great mound") is 110 km north-north-east of Cairo and 75 kilometres south of Port Said on the edge of the Egyptian desert at the altitude of 29 m. Administratively, it is a part of the Isma ...

, gaining the

Khedive's Star The Khedive's Star was a campaign medal established by Khedive Tewfik Pasha to reward those who had participated in the military campaigns in Egypt and the Sudan between 1882 and 1891. This included British forces who served during the 1882 Anglo- ...

and 4th Class Osminieh. During 1884–85, he took part in the Bechuanaland operations. He retired from the service in 1890. He was elected Conservative MP for Bath 1892–1906 and was a member of Carlton and

Army and Navy Club The Army and Navy Club in London is a private members club founded in 1837, also known informally as The Rag.Japan Society from 1913 to 1918, and he held the Order of the Rising Sun. He was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(CB) in the November

1902 Birthday Honours The 1902 Birthday Honours were announced on 10 November 1902, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII the previous day. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and the British Empire. The list was publi ...

list, was promoted to a Knight Commander of the Order in 1917, and served as a

to the Order of the Bath (1913).

Marriage and children

He married Emma Cecilia Walker in 1890. Lady Murray, as she was known, died in 1922. Their country seat was 'Culverlands' at

Burghfield Burghfield is a village and large civil parish in West Berkshire, England, with a boundary with Reading. Burghfield can trace its history back to before the Domesday book, and was once home to three manors: Burghfield Regis, Burghfield Abbas a ...

in Berkshire.

Death and afterward

Culverlands, the former residence of Col. Sir Charles Wyndham Murray, C.B., is an 18th-century house altered and enlarged in 1879. It is a plain plastered building with a balustraded parapet and slate roofs, situated in an elevated well-wooded park, the

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

s being particularly fine. The araucarias were raised from seed brought from South America by the late Thomas Bland Garland and are probably the oldest in England grown by this method. On his death Murray was buried in

Brookwood Cemetery Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regi ...

Awards and honours

*1891:

Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms His Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. Formation The corps was formed as the Troop of G ...

*1902: Companion of the Order of the Bath *1905: Knight Bachelor *1917: Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath *1927: Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St John *

Order of Osminieh The Order of Osmanieh or Order of Osmaniye ( ota, نشانِ عثمانیہ) was a civil and military decoration of the Ottoman Empire. History The order was created in January 1862 by Sultan Abdülaziz. With the obsolescence of the Nişan-i Ift ...

4th class * Order of the Rising Sun His medals were sold at auction in February 2016 for £7,200 as was his badge of office as Scarlet Rod for £900.

References

External links

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Wyndham 1844 births 1928 deaths Bailiffs Grand Cross of the Order of St John British diplomats British Army personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun People educated at Highgate School People educated at Marlborough College Burials at Brookwood Cemetery UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 People from Burghfield Politics of Bath, Somerset Knights Bachelor